A Friendly Little Wager
by AngelStandingBy77
Summary: Sarah, now 35 and a bar owner, wants a change in life and unwittingly makes a wish. When the Goblin King comes to take her to the Underground, he gives her a chance to win back her freedom by suggesting a wager over a friendly game of pool. After all, the Goblin King always loves to play a good game.


_I don't know if this kind of story has been done before, but it kept rolling around in my head, so I decided to put it into words. Hope you enjoy! -Angel_

 _I don't own Labyrinth, that all belongs to Jim Henson's genius. RIP Jim Henson and David Bowie (still hard to believe he's gone)._

 ** _AN: Apparently, there is some confusion as to Jareth's clothing, so I want to clarify for in the future. I'm referring to the black outfit he's wearing when Sarah is chasing Toby up and down the stairs in the Escher Room, not after she jumps and the room falls apart. Also, I took some liberty with his shirt - instead of the red and black quilted undershirt in the movie, I went with an all-black poet's shirt so that Sarah can get a little glimpse of some skin. :-)_**

* * *

Sarah looked at her watch – it was 1:40 a.m.

"Last call everyone!" she yelled to the few remaining patrons hanging around her dive bar. She began wiping down the bar, getting ready to close up for the night. Vince poured a few more last-minute drinks while Julia started carrying dishes to the back to be washed.

Although she didn't mind owning a small bar, there were many nights when she wished she was doing something else with her life; she just never expressed those thoughts aloud. This was one of those nights. First, a couple of guys decided to start a fight over some chick they just met and Sarah had to call on Vince to bounce them outside. Then, a drunk slob thought he had the right to cop a feel and Sarah ended up slapping him; he got belligerent with her and he, too, was shown the door. To top her night off, some drunk college kid thought the bathroom floor was where you puke your guts out instead of the toilet just a couple of feet away.

It wasn't always so bad though; most of the time, Sarah would see many of her regular customers whom she came to think of as friends. They were the hard workers who would come in after their shifts just to have a drink before heading home for the night, or the college students who came in to enjoy a friendly game of pool. Sarah knew many of them by name and she would always greet them when they came in, making them feel at home.

Since it was such a small bar, Sarah didn't require too much extra help; her staff consisted of her two bartenders, Vince, and his girlfriend, Julia, who had been with Sarah since she first opened the bar. After hiring the pair, the two hit it off right away and love blossomed after that. They were engaged to be married in September and Julia had asked Sarah to be her maid of honor; of course, Sarah said yes.

It had been 10 years since Sarah purchased the small bar and fixed it up. She wasn't quite sure where the name came from, but she had decided to name it King's Bar; it just popped into her head and she liked the sound of it. Although the first five years or so had been somewhat fun, Sarah, now 35 years old, was beginning to yearn for something else. She wasn't quite sure what she wanted to do, but she knew she just wasn't cut out to be a bar owner the rest of her life. She hoped that maybe one day, part of her life would include meeting the right man, getting married and, if she wasn't too old by that point, have at least one kid.

The sound of her name brought her out of her thoughts.

"See ya, Sarah! Have a good night!" said Trevor, one of Sarah's regulars who liked to come in with his buddies to play pool.

"Take care, Trevor, and remember to study every now and then!" she yelled back as the group of college boys left the bar. She smiled because Trevor reminded her so much of her stepbrother, Toby, who was attending Stanford University himself. The smile left her face as she thought of her little brother; she sure did miss him, especially now that he was clear across the country. Because she was so busy, Sarah didn't even get to see her father and stepmother very often and they were only a six-hour drive away. They had pretty much grown apart.

Around 2 a.m., the remaining patrons started heading out the doors, telling Sarah good night and she responded in kind. She grabbed the bar rag and went around to the different tables, wiping them off and placing the chairs upside-down on top of them. She then turned her attention to balancing the register and getting ready for the next day. About a half-hour later, Vince and Julia appeared from the back, having finished their duties.

"Alright, boss, we're taking off. See ya tomorrow night," Vince said and, putting his arm around Julia's waist, they headed out the back door, Julia waving goodbye to Sarah.

Still too awake to go home and go to bed, Sarah walked over to the jukebox and made a selection; "Bad Reputation" by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts started belting out of the machine. Rocking her body to the music, Sarah made her way over to the pool tables. Taking the keys out of her skirt pocket, she unlocked the side of the table where the balls were and began setting them on the table. Then, she moved to the end of the table to grab the triangle and began arranging the balls. Instead of grabbing a pool cue off the wall, Sarah approached the bar and, reaching over, grabbed a case and set it on top of the bar She opened it and screwed the two ends of her personalized cue together. On the side of the stick was an image of a sexy looking king. Although she didn't know why she had chosen it, Sarah had seen the image online and decided to have a special pool stick made. She grabbed the chalk out of her case and walked back to the table, applying to chalk to the end of her cue.

Bending over the table to break, Sarah began thinking about the night's events and how different her life could be.

"I wish someone would take me away from all this," she whispered as she hit the cue ball.

At the same time the cue hit the pool balls, scattering them with a loud crack, thunder roared overhead, the lights flickered and the jukebox went silent.

"Hello, Sarah. As you mortals say, long time, no see," a silky British voice came from behind her and goosebumps broke out on her flesh. Dropping the pool cue on the table, her eyes opening wide, Sarah slowly turned to the source of the sound. As soon as she saw him, all the memories of her time in the Labyrinth came flooding back.

"You," she whispered in shock.

Before her was the Goblin King, dressed in the same clothes he wore in the Escher Room the night she had wished Toby away. His light blond hair was as long and wild as that night and a smirk graced his handsome features. Sarah blushed when she noticed how tight his black breeches were and she realized she hadn't really noticed them back when she was a young girl of 15. Jareth noticed her reaction to his presence and his smirk turned into a sly smile.

"Yes, Sarah ... me," he said in a sultry voice as he bowed before her; then, standing back up, he asked, "Missed me?"

Still in shock at seeing this vision from her childhood, Sarah was at a loss for words, but not for long.

"You ... it can't be ... you were a part of my imagination," she stumbled over her words.

Jareth tutted as he walked toward her, circling her like a predator circles its prey. He stopped right in front of her and bent over slightly to look her in the eyes. Sarah sucked in her breath as she remembered looking into those same mismatched eyes as they danced in a ballroom dream once upon a time.

"Now, now, now, Sarah, we know better than that, don't we?" he asked in that same intoxicating tone, the smirk returning to his face. He looked her up and down, appraising her with a hungry look in his eyes. "Besides, I definitely missed you."

"What do you want, Goblin King?" Sarah demanded as she stood her ground.

Jareth smiled as Sarah displayed the feistiness he did so enjoy.

"You wished for someone to take you away," he spread his arms out to the sides. "So ... here I am."

"Do you plan to kidnap me like you did Toby?" she asked, still holding his eyes with her emerald ones.

Jareth just laughed and began to adjust the fingers of his black leather gloves.

"Technically, you did make a wish," he said. He looked over at the pool table and came up with an idea; he always did like playing games. "I'll tell you what, let's make a friendly little wager, shall we? If I win best two out of three games of eight-ball, you have to come to the Underground with me and be my queen. If you win, you get to stay here and figure out what else to do with your short, mortal life. I'd say that's a generous offer, wouldn't you?"

Surprise spread across Sarah's features as she heard him mention being his queen.

"Queen? Why would you want me to be your queen?" she asked indignantly.

Jareth leaned against the pool table and crossed his arms over his chest. "What did you think I was proposing when you refused me in the Escher Room?"

The memory of what the Goblin King had said to her that night came back to her and, in her 35-year-old mind, she realized now what he had been offering then.

Sarah stared at the floor as she thought about his proposal for a moment, then she faced him with determination in her eyes.

"And what if I refuse to play your little game?"

"Then, you go back with me either way. What do you say? At least you have a chance to win your freedom this way."

After thinking about it some more, Sarah finally nodded her head.

"Fine, but I get to break first," she stated flatly.

Jareth bowed again as she walked past him to grab her pool cue and rearrange the balls.

"Ladies first," he said with a smirk.

As Sarah leaned over the table to break, Jareth's eyes roamed over her with interest. He noticed how much she had changed since the last time he saw her. The last little bit of baby fat from when she was 15 was gone and she now had the curves of a full-grown woman. Her knee-length black skirt had shifted upward, showing off her long, slender legs. As his eyes traveled higher, he caught a glimpse of her ample cleavage where the top two buttons were undone on her white blouse, and the gold necklace she wore around her neck swung forward; he smiled when he realized the decorative piece on the chain was of an owl in flight. While she studied the pool balls in front of her, he studied the beautiful angles of her face and the intensity of her green eyes, which had become more knowing from life's experiences. Her dark hair was as long as it had been back then, but was now styled in layers; it formed a curtain over one shoulder as she leaned over the table and Jareth had an urge to run his fingers through it.

He knew she would make an excellent Goblin Queen.

The loud crack of pool balls breaking off into different directions on the table's smooth felt surface broke his reverie. Two of the striped-colored balls sunk into different pockets.

Sarah straightened up and a smile spread across her face.

"Looks like I'm stripes," she said smugly, rechalking the end of her pool cue. Jareth acknowledged her with a slight nod of his head.

When she was 18, Sarah's boyfriend at the time taught her how to play pool and ever since then, she played every chance she had. Whether it was eight-ball, nine-ball, cutthroat or straight pool, Sarah discovered she was a natural. Before she was old enough to hit the bars, Sarah would go to the bowling alley and play alone or against others. Once she was 21, she would make wagers against guys at the bar who thought they could win just because she was a girl; every time, they found themselves losing their drinking money. Because she enjoyed playing pool so much, she decided to buy a bar of her own when she was 25 and would often play friendly games against some of her regular patrons.

Studying the table, Sarah moved around to the other side and began lining up her shot. She looked in Jareth's eyes as she hit the cue ball, knocking another striped ball into the side pocket.

"Looks like you've become quite the little pool player, Precious," Jareth said, looking unperturbed.

"I've played a few games here and there," Sarah replied flippantly, causing him to smile.

After running the table, Sarah missed her shot with only the 13 and eight balls left. She cursed under her breath.

As she moved against the wall to allow Jareth his turn, he took off the piece of armor that crossed over his chest and threw it to the side, leaving him in a black poet's shirt that was halfway open. Before she could stop herself, Sarah's eyes roamed over the slender muscles peaking out from under the material, landing on the pendant around his neck that marked his sovereignty as Goblin King.

"Enjoy what you see, Precious?" he asked, smiling, catching Sarah by surprise.

"I don't know what you mean by that, but I was just thinking how ridiculous you look in that shirt, _Goblin King_ ," she lied, but she knew the blush spreading across her face betrayed her.

Jareth continued to smile at her with a knowing look as a pool cue appeared in his hand.

"I see," he replied with a smug look. "Well, I could always remedy that by taking it off."

He was awarded with a shocked look on Sarah's face before she schooled her features. She decided to change the subject instead.

"So, how did you come to learn how to play pool in the Underground?" she asked indignantly and he chuckled.

"We Fae are quite fond of a lot of the games you mortals play," he said. "I happened to pick up a liking for pool during one of my expeditions up here. I'll just say it was a very high-stakes game with a lovely woman like yourself."

Sarah blushed again at the insinuation of his statement and said nothing.

Jareth's trademark smirk appeared on his face again as he leaned over the table to take his shot. Starting with the five ball, he began to run the table until all that was left were Sarah's ball and the eight ball; her mouth dropped open in surprise. Jareth only looked at her with a smug look as he moved around the table, lining up his shot. With one smooth stroke, he knocked the eight-ball into the corner pocket.

"That's one, Precious," he said, chalking his cue.

"You better not be cheating, Goblin King. If I find out you're using any kind of magic ...," Sarah replied angrily.

"I wouldn't dream of it and, please, call me by my given name," Jareth said.

"What would your given name be? _Asshole_?"

Jareth chuckled. How he loved her fire.

"Oh come, come now, Precious, I know Hoggle told you what my name is," he said smoothly. "And don't forget, this is supposed to be a _friendly_ game of pool."

Sarah looked at him with a seething look in her eyes as she racked the balls once again.

"Fine, _Jareth_ , your turn to break," she said as she picked the triangle up and placed it back in its slot in the table.

Jareth bent over the table as he prepared to break. He looked at her and winked as he hit the cue ball; the other balls scattered with a loud crack. To Sarah's relief, none of the balls went in.

"I guess the last game was beginner's luck," she said sarcastically as she leaned over the table and concentrated on her shot. Once more, his eyes roamed over her form, drinking her in with his eyes.

Sarah knew he was checking her out and to her surprise, she felt a thrill run through her, but she forced her mind to concentrate on the game. With ease, she began running the table until she was left with two balls again. She couldn't help but notice they were the 13 and eight balls again and she questioned if it was really coincidence.

Jareth tutted again.

"Such a pity," he said, chalking his cue and walking up to the table.

Sarah watched closely as he made his shot, still suspecting he was cheating; however, after only hitting in three of the solids, he scratched and the upset look on his face told her otherwise.

She walked past him and gave him a sarcastic smile as she grabbed the cue ball from inside the table.

"Yes, such a pity," she said, placing the cue ball back on the table. She finished the game by sinking the 13 and then the eight ball.

Although still upset from his mistake, he only smirked.

"Well, Precious, looks like we're tied," he said. He moved to rack the balls this time as Sarah grabbed the cue ball and walked to the other end of the table. He grabbed his pool cue and made a sweeping wave with his hand.

"Ladies first," he said gallantly.

Sarah once more leaned over the table and found herself actually exaggerating her stance to give Jareth a good glimpse of her cleavage. As the night wore on, she was realizing she liked having him ogle her and the thought of submitting to him excited her. Because of being distracted by her thoughts, she nearly missed hitting the cue ball and it barely broke apart the balls on the other end of the table.

Jareth smiled, instinctively knowing what thoughts were going through her head.

"Hmmm, you looked a little distracted on that shot. Something on your mind?" he asked, placing a finger to his lips in false contemplation.

Sarah could only give him a dirty look.

"Just take your turn," she said somberly. A part of her was worried about losing, but she couldn't deny that a part of of her was beginning to want him to win.

As she moved to stand by the wall, he approached her and leaned over her, placing one hand on the wall by her head.

"You know, _if_ I do win, you would be winning, too, Precious," he whispered into her ear like he would to a lover. Sarah couldn't deny the attraction she felt in that instant.

"And how is that?" she said quietly, looking him in the eye.

"Just imagine all that I could give you," he responded, holding her gaze with a smoldering look. He smiled as her breath became shallow and her chest began heaving. She felt herself becoming entranced by him for a moment before shaking her head, clearing her thoughts.

"You have to win first," she whispered and he smiled. He loved it when she continued to fight him.

"Have it your way," he said, once more chalking his cue before leaning over the table. His eyes turned up to her, giving her that same smoldering look and she took in a sharp intake of breath. He smiled widely at her response and she could see his sharp teeth; she pictured what they would feel like scraping aginst her skin.

He turned his gaze back to the table and concentrated on his shot; with one smooth stroke, the three ball sunk into the corner pocket. His eyes turned back to her as he moved around the table to line up his next shot. With his heightened Fae sense of smell, he knew her body was responding to him.

As he started sinking balls left and right, Jareth was confident he would finally win the wager; however, when he got to the second to last ball, he missed and the cue ball slipped into the side pocket. He frowned, knowing he could still lose this game. He had been overconfident in his ability to beat her and now, for the second time since her run in his Labyrinth, he could possibly lose her for good.

Sarah approached the table and placed the cue ball where she wanted it; she was surprised as mixed emotions welled up within her. Taking a deep breath, she began sinking balls into all the pockets until she got down to the eight ball. It was a very simple shot and she had no doubt in her mind that she would win this game. However, the doubt inside her became overwhelming and she found herself looking up at the Goblin King, studying him. What she saw took her aback; instead of his usual smug look, sadness had overtaken his features and she realized how much he loved her. His words from the Escher Room flooded back into her mind.

 _Fear me, love me, do as I say and I will be your slave._

The true meaning of his words hit her: it wasn't only about making her his queen, he had laid bare his feelings to her at great risk to himself. She smiled as she realized that throughout the years, he had always been on her mind, too; that was the reason for her bar's name, for his image on her pool stick and for the owl around her neck. Having made up her mind she leaned over the table and lined up her shot.

From his corner of the room, Jareth had seen the smile on her face and mistook it for a look of victory. His heart began breaking all over again as he prepared himself to lose her for good.

What happened next, however, took him by surprise. She hit the cue ball and knocked the eight ball into the pocket followed by the cue ball itself. She had scratched. She had lost. Her eyes turned up to look into his.

"Oops," she said with a shrug of her shoulders. She threw her pool cue onto the chair next to his armor.

Reading the look on her face, he realized she had lost on purpose. She lost on her own terms by both showing she could have knocked in the eight ball and won as well as knocking in the cue ball and letting him win.

He smiled as he approached her and touched one gloved hand to her cheek.

"How you turn my world precious thing," he said softly before lowering his lips to hers and then, in a whirl of glitter, the barroom was empty.

* * *

The next day, Vince and Julia showed up at work hand-in-hand to find the door still locked. Frowning, Vince grabbed his own keys out of his jean pocket and unlocked the door; it was unusual for Sarah not to already be at the bar, getting everything ready for their regulars.

As they entered the bar, they noticed an odd breastplate on a chair next to Sarah's favorite pool stick. On top of them rested a letter in Sarah's handwriting and the deed to the bar with her signature.

 _Dear Vince and Julia,_

 _For sometime now, I have been thinking about closing this bar and moving on to something else in my life. Although I have started a new chapter in my life, I thought it would be a pity to completely close King's Bar. So, I have signed over the deed to the property to both of you as an early wedding present. I apologize for leaving so abruptly, but this was something I needed to do. Please take care of the bar and know that I care about both of you dearly. You have been great employees and even greater friends and I wish you all the happiness in the world._

 _With all my love,_

 _Sarah_

After they finished reading the letter, Vince and Julia looked at each other in confusion. Then, smiling at each other, they began to prepare for the night and hoped their friend all the best in the world.


End file.
